Today we’d like to introduce you to Abe Goldstein.
Hi Abe, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Dave Sakolsly, and Abe Goldstein met nearly 15 years ago in the beer community. They discussed potentially opening a place if all the stars aligned. In early 2022, the stars aligned and they started working together on building the brewpub that they wanted to go to.
Dave spent the last 15 years as a professional brewer. He started his career at Hill Farmstead in VT, and bounced around after that, running brewhouses around New Hampshire. His most recent role was head brewer at Black Shirt in Colorado. Abe spent over 10 years as a software engineer, building products and teams for a decade in NY and the Bay Area.
As they discussed the idea, building the place they wanted to go to was the north star for all of their decisions.
It led them to finding an extraordinary location, a grain mill built in 1724 and situated on a beautiful creek, and making that our home.
At Concordance, our beer is obsessed over: we build our water profile up from nothing and tweak parameters that even some of the best breweries ignore. Our food is scratch made. We don’t see the point of putting something out of the kitchen that is just a heat and serve. We even fold our own fresh pasta We spent months searching for the wines and liquors that we serve at our bar, and we obsess over each cocktail on our menu.
In our first year, we were fortunate enough to build a group of amazing regulars. We have been fortunate enough to receive amazing reviews from our customers, and about 5 months ago, we were humbled when we won a Philly Mag Best in Philly award as the Best new Brewery in 2026.
We have now been open for just over a year and we are so excited for what comes next. Our bottle program is getting off the ground with some amazing barrel aged and fruited offerings. And we are really excited for what comes next.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been anything but smooth.
Our construction took nearly 2 years to complete. We had issues with permitting, contractors, and lead time for orders.
But even worse that that, about 6 weeks before our anticipated open date, we were finalizing the installation of our brewhouse. Our installers went to turn the kettle on and there was an explosion in the firebox that rendered our kettle entirely useless. We had to figure out a suitable way to get brewing: we spent weeks evaluating contract options, all of which didn’t allow us to do what we actually needed to do to produce the beer we needed to produce. We finally spoke to Crooked Eye Brewing down the street and they have been some of the most extraordinary neighbors. They have allowed us to bring our own RO water, use their mash tun and kettle, chill, and transport home for fermentation and packaging. It has allowed Dave to do all the things he needs to do to assure the highest quality product.
We have been dealing with lawyers for over a year now, and still have no resolution. And we quite literally wouldn’t be able to be the brewery we know we can be without Crooked Eye.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Concordance Ferments is a brewpub that specializes in and is known for our extraordinary beers, amazing scratch made food, and an amazing environment.
For breweries, I think there are few, if any, who can boast food at the level of quality that we have been able to produce. Our tap-list touches on many different styles, shying away from the standard brewpub fare of too many IPAs and IPA type variants. We provide an IPA, yes, but also a pilsner, porter, biere de garde, berlinerweisse, and a nordic farmhouse ale blended with Chinese white tea. Our bottle offerings further expand our style offerings, with barrel aging and fruit creating some extraordinary beer experiences.
I love that we do it all without pretention (or at least we try to). Show up in sweatpants and a dirty hoodie, grab a beer with a grilled cheese and tomato soup or a burger, and watch the game. Play cards or a board game with your family. Its a relaxed neighborhood vibe that welcomes you as you are.
I am so proud of the quality of what we have been able to produce, and I know this is just the beginning.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
It is always important to understand that there is more that you don’t know than there is that you know. Always learn. Always be curious. Be open to feedback. Change when things aren’t working, but stick to your guns when it comes to your identity.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://concordanceferments.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/concordanceferments/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Concordance-Ferments-100084144645214/
